… Maybe? Not really.

It seems like it might be tiring to keep it up for a long while.

So... Is it meant for short bursts?

He holds it for exactly one second.

It goes blue! Definitely not just blurring of the air, now, definitely looks blue.

Did he time it properly so a tennis ball hit it?

Not at first. Test one variable at a time, eh?

Now he does, though.

The tennis ball stops dead, and then falls to the ground.

Which is a similar result to when he last did it while making sure not to move around.

Relay, I think my shield's strength depends on how I time it. Is there someone who can hit pretty hard available? I want to test its limits.

Moment, he says.

… As in, just a moment, not as in 'yes there's someone named Moment'. Though there is someone called Moment. Solidity is nearby – I'll send him your way.

Thank you.

Might as well practice timing meanwhile - flare the shield for as short a time as possible to catch oncoming tennis balls.

It doesn't seem to do much extra, maybe makes the blue a bit more solid, though repeatedly flaring the shield seems to be taking some mental effort.

It's more to get used to timing this thing. Being mentally tired is an interesting sensation, though.

Is the ball-thrower throwing them at irregular intervals? Can it do that? He sets it to, if so.

He can definitely make it throw them at irregular intervals, but it was previously not doing so.

Slightly better for practicing reacting to things, this way.

And after a short while, someone walks into the room! "Hey there," he says. "You need someone as a heavy hitter?"

"Hello! I'm brand new - I get a shield that varies from 'barely stops a tennis ball' to some unknown high end based on how long I intend to keep it when I make it. I want to figure out the high end."

"Depending on how strong it is, I might not be able to hit the high end. My main thing is durability but it allows some for heavy-hitting, I was just the closest thing available for quick use."

"Doesn't have to hit the high end as long as you hit pretty high. Eval says I have something else and I'm gonna run off and try to figure out what that is, too."

"That should work. What's the intend-to-keep-it part, do I need to be ready to punch it quickly or something?"

"You throw punches of various strengths and I catch them? I need to practice timing anyway."

"Sure. Should I start low and work up?"

"Sounds like a plan. Thanks for the help." And now he is clearly paying attention.

So Solidity starts with a relatively weak punch, weaker than most people would probably punch.

The faintly blue shield that snaps into existence tanks it effortlessly.

So he ramps up the power a bit! And will keep going for a bit.

Turns out he can't quite, under these circumstances, destroy Terry's shield outright, but he can definitely put some strain on it.

"Do you mind staying long enough to get at least one line of reference for each curve? Strength and time, strength and area."

"Sure? Maybe see if it's weaker at the edge, if you can make it stronger or thicker at different points?"